5/20/2014

"Conservative Filmmaker D’Souza Pleads Guilty to Election-Law Charges"

As I noted at the end of April, the evidence against Dinesh is very strong.  I thought that if he went to trial he would very likely be found guilty.  I don't approve of these campaign finance laws, but I am not surprised that he plead guilty to these violations.  From the WSJ:
. . . Mr. D’Souza could face 10 to 16 months in prison and a fine of $250,000 under the terms of his plea deal.  He could also lose the right to vote. U.S. District Judge Richard M.  Berman, who will determine his punishment, set the sentencing for September.
Mr. D’Souza was indicted in Manhattan federal court in January for allegedly breaking federal election laws and giving false statements to the Federal Election Commission. He was accused of illegally funneling $20,000 to Wendy Long, the Republican candidate who unsuccessfully challenged Democratic incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand, New York’s junior senator.
Prosecutors said Tuesday that Mr. D’Souza had misled Ms. Long about the contributions, and that she would have testified against him if the case had gone to trial. Ms. Long wasn’t immediately available for comment.
Mr. D’Souza’s attorney, Benjamin Brafman, had argued previously that Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s office had engaged in “selective” prosecution by targeting a Republican, a criticism also echoed by retiring Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz.
Prosecutors pushed back against the claim. Law Blog noted earlier that Mr. Bharara’s office has won corruption convictions against nearly a dozen Democratic lawmakers in New York since President Barack Obama nominated him to the post in 2009. . . .

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